1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to food processing equipment and, more specifically, to an Avocado Skinning and Pulping Device.
2. Description of Related Art
Avocados have become more and more popular for their versatility and arguable health-related benefits. They come in various varieties and sizes. For example, West Indian avocados produce enormous, smooth round, glossy green fruits that are low in oil and can weigh up to two pounds. Guatemalan varieties produce medium ovoid or pear-shaped, pebbled green fruits that turn blackish-green when ripe. The fruit or pulp of Mexican versions of avocado tends to be smaller (six to ten ounces) with skins that turn glossy green or black when ripe.
The pulp of avocados is deep green near the skin, becoming yellowish nearer the single large, inedible ovoid seed. The pulp is hard when harvested but softens to a buttery texture as the avocado ripens. Avocados are high in monosaturates and the oil content is second only to olives among fruits in its health benefits. Clinical feeding studies in humans have shown that avocado oil can actually reduce blood cholesterol. To effectively obtain the pulp of an avocado, the avocado must be de-skinned and the seed must be removed.
In many cases, fruits (such as avocados) and vegetables are more easily de-skinned by the heating of these foods. Such heating does not adversely affect the flavor, texture, or appearance of most such foods. Processing avocados by first heating for the purpose of de-skinning them, however, is not nutritionally sound. Avocados are a fruit which is extremely sensitive to heat. This is particularly so in its green (chlorophyll) layer of its pulp as it lies immediately below the skin and, consequently, is subject to greatest heat exposure and nutritional loss and flavor loss. Additionally, avocado skins are particularly thick and/or rough and most processing techniques are manual or if mechanized, the apparatus is expensive, complex, and not as efficient as desired in that usable pulp is lost in the process.
Because of their existing and ever-growing popularity, there continues to be a need to effectively and efficiently remove the pulp from an avocado for processing regardless of the size or type of avocado being processed. The prior art has numerous de-skinning or peeling machines and pulp or fruit removal machines which have been cited in the parent application. Most are extremely complex, somewhat cumbersome, and costly to manufacture and maintain.
The instant inventor previously solved many of the problems associated with pulp removal and skin/seed disposal in his prior issued patents and pending patent applications (U.S. Pat. No. 7,444,930 and application Ser. Nos. 11/845,184, 11/845,233, 12/423,356, and 12/628,806); all of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
This current avocado pulper, however, is an even more vast improvement to all prior-art devices. It will de-seed, de-pulp, and de-skin an avocado with little human intervention; and, in the same amount of time, will produce more pulp than with any prior-art device and less waste of usable product will result. Unwanted items [skin and seed] will not be co-mingled with the pulp. Moreover, with the relative “flexibility” if the grip belts and the de-seeder, a hard avocado pulp or a stray seed will not jam the avocado pulper. Furthermore, disassembly of the device for cleaning and maintenance has been greatly improved. All these advances and at a speed of production unsurpassed by any other device.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the avocado pulper of this disclosure. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the avocado pulper of this disclosure. Many other beneficial results can be attained by applying the disclosed avocado pulper of this disclosure in a different manner or by modifying the avocado pulper of this disclosure within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the avocado pulper of this disclosure may be had by referring to the summary of the avocado pulper of this disclosure and the detailed description of the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the avocado pulper of this disclosure defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.